The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-02-17
|HlIL'S BIG HUMBUG.

NLL'S Big HUMBUG. -
sToRY OF HOW rAE CARDIFF GIANT
WAS MADe
The Originator Of the Petriaed swindss,
describes His Opsrstions-Mskins
Money by E.hisitien and stin More By
selling Out Oppsrtunsiy.
George Hun, now j resident of wess
Superior, Wis, IN whose fertile brain the
Cardiff giant hoax originated, was here
the other day, and to reporter gave the
story Of that humbug as follows: & r. yaE
I'm 1861 1 was over in Iowa, near Fort
Dodge, dealing in gypsum. Looking over
one Of the large pieces, which seemed to
be In the shape Of man, i get interested
in the dark lines which looked very much,
indeed, like the veins in the limbs OF .
human being. A grand schsme struck
me, or / struck IL. / secured the largest,
most solid piece to be found, and shipped
It to Chicago. After some time got hold
. man said to be first-class marble cut
ter. He was splendid. designer and
carver. l saw some of his designs In
marble. / told him my scheme was TO get
out Of the block Of gypsum the petritied
remains Of tremendous giant.
The fellow caught on In q moment,
and could see in it the grandest scheme In
the world. Both Of us studied over the
prospect for some time. The artist drew
tho like. by and by.~ws got the idea 70 .
md NH
marked out the veins showed up in fine
style--you never saw anything more COM
plete In your life. They were also visible
in thetemples and forehead. 1t cost me
heap, though, to keep the artist at his
work. He had my secret, and handled me
rs he pleased. Sometimes he'd get ON .
spree Tor days or weeks. Several months
passed before the concern was finished. IL
was . grand piece Of work The artist
put on 1t an ancient sppearance-thers
was an antiquity about 1t that was really
marvellous. boxed il and shipped II
eastward as Q block Of marble. Its weight
was 80 pounds. i took charge OF the
great wonder Z. z: 9 ~
BURYINa THE GIANT a
AT nrst did not know exactly what j
would do to bringit before the people.
When Preached New York state seized
upon plan Of burying the giant In %
cluded spOt-a romantic nook by . noun,
tain side. finally selected Cardiff, a vii
lage on the OnOndaga creek, Onondags
county, twelve or fifteen miles south OF
Syracuse. l conilded my secret t0a lone
farmer. He appeared to be all right in
the matter. l gave him money and prom.
tsed him more We dug grave by the
river, and as luck would have it-for pet
Eifaction purposes-at the depth Of abou.
six feet We struck pure, moving water.
The giant was inclOsed In . rough cass
and deposited, in the grave. : No one but
the farmer, his wife and myself knew Of
this transaction The agreement was
made between US that In one year the far
mer should accidentally lind the giant
Word would reach me; L would make =
great ado about 1t and take. the people te
the spot-taking care to lose my WAY
several times before reaching said spot.
THE agreement worked all right. News
Of the finding Of petrited remains Of .
human being near Cardiff was spread
over tie neighborhood like wildfire, aud
In day or two newspaper men were
there, and then the whole world knew Of
It. lpurchased tho petrified remains and
proceeded forthwith to erect tent oven
the grave, the remains staying undis
turbed. Hundred and then thousands
visited the place. charged fee, u
course, 70 get inside the tent, just ~ pay
expenses. In q few days the crowds coulc
not be accommodated. In one week, soon
after the discovery took in $2.aOO. The
rush kept increasing. The most scientific
men of the country were present. They
made critical examinations Of the giant
rs 1t lay In It's resting place. remember
one old gentleman, q noted geologist, tell !
ing the assemblage In all sincerity how
this giant, so many hundred years before, |
had evidently strobe over the Onon |
daga mou.- Us and rested In the val |
leys. eE.a.ll&E ..+tS 3 is IA e.
LEAKING OUT OF THE SECRET.
After few s.onths began to mistrust
that there had Oeen leak somewhere.
and questioned the old farmer about II. |
lie appeared to be 4 little afraid. that hn |
old woman had let the cat out of the
bagr He said she could never keep hen
mouth stiH. So I began to think had
better sell out II an opportunity offered |
Soon some men from New York City wer, |
anxious to take a share in the giant ii
sold third interest to them for $So, o0 !
cash. Soon after this I sold my remain. |
OF the business"
added: When had no more to do with |
the concern, the old lady in question told
the whole secret, just as l had told the old |
man. The fellows who run the show had |
TO pull up and travel with the giant
saw It under canvas in many places They |
did very well out of 1t. you saw 1t oal |
this way, didn't yout" 5as
Mr.. Hull was informed that the "Cardif |
Giant" was exhibited in Madison, but the |
people here little, thought that 1t was che |
production OF man who had Gully tsw
years before been transacting business in |
this city. -
Well, "said Mr. Hull, "thats the histor,
OF the Cardiff Giant as near Us eau re-
member"
Mr.. Hull is man of intelligence. good
story teller, full Of fun, and Is "a ycars Of
age. but he does not appear tobe over IS |
He il native Of the state Of Connecticut
He admitted that the affair was regular |
Yankee trick" like some Of Barnum's-
Madison( Wis., Letter. / 90. .-
-
Independence In Ones Own Home.
In this life we have to pay very much 70,
our independence, to be allowed separate
homo whose doors we can close upon the
world, to have . little piece of ground
which we can till, to indulge the luxury Of
private thinking and Of candid speaking.
He who sells out these inestimable rights
ut the dawn Of life Is like man who dis
figures his hand with India Ink while he Il |
yet q boy, and after he becomes person
of some influence there stands forever the |
evidences Of his low tastes when he was .
lad.-George Alfred Townsend
Quantity and Quality Of Maple Sap.
The location OF a maple tree has much |
70 do with the increase or decrease not
only In quantity but In the quality Of iti
sap. Trees standing on low land, moist
and having black, mucky and rich sou,
will run large amount Of wstcry sap
having less than 2 per cent. Of sugar, and